GBV, sexual corruption on the increase - judge

HIGH Court Judge in Mwanza zone, Agnes Bukuku has said Gender Based Violence (GBV) and sexual corruption cases seem to increase in courts, hospitals and at different higher learning institutions in the country.

Judge Bukuku said there is a need for the community at large to take stern measures to end the vice which seems to affect mostly women and girls in different forms.

She made the call when speaking with lawyers, magistrates, judges, advocates and scholars of Faculty of Law at St Augustine University in Nyegezi, Mwanza.

She was speaking during the ‘Moot Court’ which also took place in Arusha, Dar es Salaam regions and is expected to take place on 8th this month in Dodoma coordinated by Women in Law and Development Africa (WiLDAF) in collaboration with Association of Tanzania Women Judges (TAWJA) as part of sixteen days campaign.

Moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase "moot court" may be shortened to simply "moot" or "mooting".

“We must take gender based violence seriously to help women and children who mostly are affected. GBV especially sexual corruption is common practice in some hospitals, courts, and higher learning institutions that’s why TAWJA and WiLDAF saw the importance of organising the ‘Moot court’ in different regions,” she said

She also said that harassment of women with low incomes is caused by ignorance of the community in criminal law adding that the situation had caused many women mostly in rural areas to continue experiencing sexual harassment and denied their rights to own land.

Fatuma Kimwaga who is lawyer from Tanzania Women Lawyers Association (TAWLA), said sexual corruption especially at workplaces and colleges is said to be among common gender based violence to women and girls in the country.

She said worse situation of GBV in the country is the reason that attracted TAWJA and WiLDAF to see the importance of organising Moot Court to educate the society and colleges students on how to conduct court proceedings and know different country laws.

"This violence intends to discourage women and children economically because nowadays it seems to be very common practice every where for example at workplaces and at family levels you find that rape and violence against women seem to be very normal things,” she said.

“This seriously affects women and girls emotionally and physiologically so it is important for the community to take action to avert the situation,” she said.

One student from Faculty of Law at St Augustine, Brightness Shija said that moot court will help stimulate them on how to deal with challenges they would be facing during criminal case proceedings in the courts.

“This moot court to us is a very big lesson on how to handle different cases, how to stand in courts, to defend your clients by using sections and we have also learnt how judges and magistrates prepare judgment basing on evidence tabled in the courts,” she said.